


Swords and Roses

by Fire_Drifter



Category: Biker Mice From Mars
Genre: Blood and Gore, Explosions, F/M, Gun Violence, Gun-Fu, Implied/Referenced Torture, Legendary Bloodline, Magic, Martial Arts, Mystic Forces, Past Torture, Spirit World, Spirits, Sword-Fu, Swordfighting, Swords, Swords & Sorcery, Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 18,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23490745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Drifter/pseuds/Fire_Drifter
Summary: When the Biker Mice find out that a family of their own kind has been residing on earth long before they arrived, their journey takes a twist. For the remains of this  family holds the keys to ending the Plutarkian threat in the form of an ancient martial art and two swords; With old enemies gunning for them!
Relationships: Carbine Cannonblade/Throttle, Harley/Vincent "Vinnie" Van Wham





	1. Prologue

_City of Blackstone – Mars_

_During the Biker Bros. Captivity in Karbunkle's lab_

The Plutarkian raids, combined with the betrayal of the Martian rat population had tipped the balance. The Freedom Fighters were crippled, and things were now at their darkest hour for Blackstone. The city was under assault, the Freedom Fighters' three best warriors were nowhere in sight, and the city was finally forced to start evacuation.

"Come, on! Hurry!" Shieva Starwind, a young mother, said to her twin sons, Header and Gear as mortar fire was heard from several blocks away. "We don't have much time! Hurry and follow your father!"

"Mom! I'm scared!" Header said as he and Gear clung to Shieva's hand as they ran towards the spaceport. They were only several city-blocks away from it now. Header's father, Zephyr Starwind, led the family through the panicked streets, pistol in hand. On his back, he had two swords, the prized possessions of his family's legacy: A claymore sword, _Moonstone_ , and the other a dai-katana, Kotodaima. His family had trained generations of soldiers and recently, some freedom fighters in their sword techniques, which were legendary across Mars; a sword style known as Karmato-Urugi. It had been handed down through his family for generations, some could even say dynasties. The style was just as deadly as it was elegant. He had taught it to both his sons, whom were destined to carry on the style in the family, or to someone deemed worthy.

They ran through the space port, to their own star ship. If the freedom fighters could not drive off the invaders, they would have to escape. Zephyr was grateful he had invested money in a ship several years back, just in case of this very scenario.

"Freeze!" A voice yelled behind them as they started to board the ship. Zephyr turned around and saw Mace, Stoker, and a bunch of sand raiders. All armed. Zephyr shot them a glare. He knew what Mace had done; he had sold out the freedom fighters to the Plutarkians, who brainwashed Stoker, his dear friend. Mace was a rat, pure and simple. And literally.

"Gear, Header, come here." He said. Gear and Header hesitantly walked up to their father. He then did something rather surprising.

He took the family swords off of his back, giving Moonstone to Header, and Kotodama to Gear.

"This is our family legacy." He whispered to them, drawing them close. "Hold one, and you have might. Hold both, and you hold redemption itself in your hands. Now, go with your mother, and find safety among the stars. I have issues I need to resolve..."

He then got up, drawing a second pistol with a dagger, and shot down one of the sand raiders, running towards them in a battle cry. Header and Gear were shocked for a bit, but Shieva grabbed them and ran on board the ship, starting the takeoff sequence. Zephyr had told her in advance this might happen; that he might have to sacrifice himself for her and the children. She just wished it wasn't happening.

As she started the takeoff sequence for the ship, she saw her husband, fighting valiantly against overwhelming odds. How he always had dreamed of going to his death; with honor.  
She then took her crying sons into her arms and started to cry herself. The ship was set on autopilot for a neighboring planet. The one called Earth.


	2. Rising Sun

_Quigley Field_

_April 21st, 2019_

_Sunrise_

Throttle yawned as he woke up. He was usually the first up, if Modo wasn't. He took a few moments after he got dressed to look out the scoreboard at the sun as it started to rise. The day was quiet... for now. So far, the day looked like it was going to be peaceful. Looks were always deceiving, however. He knew Limburger would be up to something. But for now, he had this moment to himself. A peaceful sunrise to relax him before the day ahead. One of the things he was thankful for, besides his awesome bros, slick thinking, and sweet bike. Those were the three things in this wild, wooly universe he could count on.

If only he knew they weren't the first Martian Mice on earth, and that he, Modo, and Vinnie would meet the first ones very soon.

Soon, they would meet the sons of Zephyr.

_Meanwhile, at an old road crossing..._

Header and Gear had shed their holographic human disguises as soon as he had gotten off their Motorcycles. They were at the spot on the road where the vehicular accident happened. The one that took the life of their dear mother when they had barely come of age several years ago. No one else was around and wouldn't be for several more hours.

Header was trying his hardest not to cry, but alas, he couldn't help it. He fell to his knees at the small memorial they made, slamming a fist into the ground.

"Dammit, it's not fair!" He sobbed. "Why did she have to go?! Why did she have to leave us like dad did?! They've abandoned us, Gear!"  
"You know that's not true, brother." Gear walked up and put a hand of comfort on Header's shoulder, soothing him the only way he knew how. Usually, Header hid all his anger and rage behind a sly, punk-rocker type attitude, the same way he hid the bruises and cuts he got from the fights and playing 'hero'. But he could never hide it from Gear. They were twins, after all.

Header and Gear had matured differently from each other despite that fact. Gear had grown to have clean, bright gray fur, with small bangs around his antennae that he combed in a smoothed back, well-maintained style. He usually wore a white, long sleeved shirt under a leather jacket and designer jeans. The clothes and lifestyle he led was easy to afford, as he was a Master of Mechanical Engineering, with credentials to boot. He could design and build just about anything, given he had the right materials. His bike was custom built and fabricated, though it was based heavily off the Dunetti Kaiju models that were considered in the 'exotic' Motorcycle class; A very tasteful and elegant bike. His skills had also made him very good money, for he frequently submitted designs of both bikes and cars to high-end design studios such as Eurodesign, who then made them into concepts, and with some luck and time, production vehicles.

Header, on the other hand, looked nothing like Gear. He had dark gray fur, wore a sleeveless, black trench coat over a navy-blue tank top and jeans with black leather chaps. He had also let his hair grow long, and only cut it when it got to elbow level. He usually wore his hair in a samurai braid, letting his bangs flow down over his forehead. Header had also taken a much different, if not eccentric, path in life. He knew how to design and build stuff too, vehicles included, but viewed it more as a hobby than a career choice. His Motorbike design had been based off of the basic Tsuzuka Highwayman. He chose a life of excitement over professionalism: Fighting in mixed-martial arts contests of skill and muscle, stunt driving, playing in indie rock bands that came close to making it big but never made the cut, Motocross, even street racing. He had seen a few run-ins with the law, though he had never been caught or I.D.'d. The street racing started after mother died. Between the two, Header took her death the hardest.

They had come here every day on April 21st to remember their parents, and to treasure their family bond.

"...Ever think we'll find anyone to pass ‘the style’ to?" Header said, not even looking up.

Gear smiled. "We will, someday. I keep my eyes out for prospective students to teach it too. Unfortunately, many are either too young and arrogant, or too old and lacking the stamina to use the techniques to its fullest. But I haven't given up hope yet."  
Header got off his knees, standing up. "Well, I guess you have to head to your job."

"It pays the bills and keeps me out of trouble." Gear said. "You should follow my example."

"Heh. No thanks." Header answered, slipping easily back into sly, rocker mode. "I've got other things to do..."

Gear sighed, and they put their helmets back on, started their bikes, and rode off. Header may be a bothersome pest at times, but he was still his brother. Nothing would ever change that.

They then rode back to Chicago to start their separate days.


	3. Hunted

_Eurodesign Studio – Chicago Branch_

_Downtown Chicago_

_10:00 AM_

Gear was busy in his human holo disguise, designing a new car for the Torogini Motor Corporation. So far, it was an ordinary day. Nothing too eventful. He was busy finishing the touches on the blueprint for the car's body design.

A shadow overcast the window, blocking out the sun. He looked over his shoulder from his drawing board, and fear shot through him.

There was someone outside the window, in a helicopter, with a minigun aimed right at him!

He barely had time to run and take cover before it unleashed a hellfire of bullets...

_Chen-Su Martial Arts studio_

_Same Time_

Header had just got to the practice floor in the martial arts studio. It was empty, as always. Just how he liked it. He turned off his holo disguise. But before he could begin practicing his techniques on Karmato-Urugi, he got a chill down his spine. His left ear was twitching. Header got a sudden chill of fear. Gear had described such sensations when he knew that he, himself was in trouble! No doubt it worked both ways, since they were twins.

He dropped his bag, and ran out the door, completely forgetting he had a holstered sword on his back. Putting on his helmet, and firing up his bike, he gunned the engine out of the Chen-Su studio's parking lot. He had a bad feeling that something had happened to Gear. He prayed he was wrong.

_Eurodesign Studio_

The bullets flew as Gear dove into an air vent. He waited until the gunfire stopped and realized that one of the bullets had grazed his leg. He then heard a voice. The same voice he heard years ago when father gave him and Header the swords. It was Mace!

"You think that got him?" Mace asked.

"Looks that way." Another voice said, though much deeper.

"Good. Light the place up. Leave no evidence behind."

"Way ahead of you." With that, he heard several explosions from above the air vent. Then, things started to get hot, and the fire alarm went off. Gear didn't need to think of what had just happened. They had lit the office on fire. The rest of the building was most likely next.

He forced himself to crawl out of the air vent, despite his spasming leg. He also realized his hologram unit had taken a hit, so no human disguise. Great.

He stood up, seeing his office ablaze, feeling the heat. He heard his co-workers panicking, running down the stairs. He then heard another voice. Someone was trapped. He walked through the flames, seeing a secretary trapped under her desk by a fallen beam. Gear, ignoring his own injury, leaped over the debris in his way, getting to the other side of the beam. He picked it up with all the strength he could muster and moved it off the woman. He then pulled her up, into his arms, then made his way out as he went for the stairs. Walking down them as fast as he could, he heard several more explosions rock the building. The gas mains in the building were lighting up!

He got to the ground floor and exited the building with the woman. He handed her to the paramedics and firefighters just as the glass windows on the outside of the building exploded. The force of the explosion threw everyone back, Gear going headfirst into the side of a fire truck. The pain seared through his head like the fire itself. Combine that with the smoke inhalation, and he was losing consciousness fast.

The last thing he saw were three motorcycles arriving at the scene...


	4. Zephyr's Sons

"Woah!" Vinnie said as the building exploded like a volcanic eruption.

"This doesn't seem like Limburger's style..." Modo noted.

Throttle looked around for anything he and his bros could do to help, but the police and fire departments seemed to have everything under control. He could only hope everyone got out of the five-story building okay.

He looked over to a fire truck, and had to do a double take at what he saw. There was a Martian mouse laying on the ground, several firefighters unsure what to do.

"Bros!" Throttle got Vinnie and Modo's attention. They got off their bikes and ran over to the fallen mouse, taking advantage of the confusion.

Modo knelt and checked the unknown Mouse's vitals.

"He's alive. Took one nasty hit to the head, though, and has a small gash in his leg..."

They then heard another motorcycle arrive at the scene. Another Martian mouse, in a sleeveless trench coat with a sword strapped to his back.

"Gear!" The other mouse ran up, muscling his way through the crowd of survivors. When he saw the biker bros and the casualty, he panicked.

"Gear! Oh god, brother!" He ran up, kneeling down to check on Gear. Throttle could tell this guy was more than worried. The mouse in the trench-coat then looked at Throttle, and asked the question he knew was coming.

"What happened?"

_Last Chance Garage_

_11:00 AM_

Business today was at a slow pace for Charley Davidson. So far, everything was fine.

Until the Biker Bros rode in with a fourth wheel in a trench coat, and an injured mouse she didn't recognize.

"Woah!" She exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Someone blew up the Eurodesign building. My guess is they were after this guy. His name is Gear. The forth wheel is his brother, Header." Throttle said, lifting Gear in his arms as everyone got off their bikes and took off their helmets.

Charley led them up the staircase to the bedrooms above the garage. She directed them to a spare bedroom she kept, then went to a closet where she kept her medical supplies. Throttle lay Gear down on the bed, noticing just how young Gear and his brother were. They were barely older than Rimfire: In their early 20s at the oldest. Header clung to Gear's hand, and started to cry.

"Hey, kid, no need for the waterworks. It'll be alright." Modo said. He patted Header on the back, trying to comfort him.

"He's all I have left..." Header choked out as he slowly let go of Gear's hand.. "He's all I have left..."

"Poor guy, he's in shock." Charley said, looking at Header. "Guys, take him into the next room while I patch his brother up."

The biker bros did as they were told. Header reluctantly followed them into the other room.  
"You guys must be close, even for family." Vinnie noted. "You wouldn't happen to be twins, would you?"

"Yes." Header answered. "I just knew something was wrong when I back at the martial arts studio this morning... I just knew it..."

"Take it easy, bro." Throttle said, holding Header's hand as they sat down at a table. "Breathe. Slow, deep breaths. Relax." He had seen people in shock before. Sometimes after certain battles on Mars, his fellow freedom fighters would be in shock. Especially if a battle went bad, and someone they knew got injured.

Header did as he was told. He took in slow, deep breaths, relaxing from the tension, calming down.  
"There." Throttle said. "That's better. Why don't you tell us more about you and your brother? When did you end up on earth?"

Header then explained his life's story with the Biker Bros. Starting with his family's escape from Blackstone, all the way to the recent events that led to their mother's death.

"So your father sacrificed himself so you and your family could escape?" Throttle asked, starting to recap. "Then, when you got here, you blended in with the human population with holographic disguises?"

"That's right." Header said.

"Clever approach." Modo commented. "Unorthodox, but clever."  
"So what's with the sword?" Vinnie asked. "That's not something I see everyday. Don't take this the wrong way, but it looks more like a piece of art than a sword..."

Header forgot that he was carrying Moonstone on his back. "I usually don't carry Moonstone with me..."

Everyone went silent. The Biker Bros knew all about the famous Karmato-Urugi sword techniques, all the way down to the swords that it's teacher wielded.  
"Moonstone!" Vinnie gasped. "I know that sword. Then that must mean..."

"You're one of Zephyr's sons..." Modo finished.


	5. Vendetta

_Last Chance Garage_

_3:00 AM_

Charley and the Bros decided it was best for everyone to stay at the garage that night. Whoever was after Gear would probably be after Header next. But who could it be? That was the question.  
Header went over to Gear's apartment later that day with Modo to get Kotodama. He didn't want whoever attacked him getting their hands on his brother's weapon.

Right now, it was late, about three in the morning, and the garage was closed. Throttle was going in to check on Header before he went to bed. Header refused to leave Gear's side, and insisted on staying in the same room. Throttle looked in the room and saw Header, slumped in the chair he was sitting on, asleep.  
Throttle sighed. "I can only imagine what you are going through..." He whispered as he closed the door.

_The next day..._

_10:00 AM_

Gear woke up. He had a bag of ice and a towel on his forehead. Where was he? And who put this ice on his head? He took the ice off his forehead and felt where his leg got grazed by that bullet. The wound was covered with bandages and treated for infection. He looked around. He was in a bedroom, but not his apartment. He saw Header slumped over in a chair, asleep. Thier swords, Moonstone and Kotodama were over in the corner of the room propped up against the wall.

Gear propped himself up on his elbows, then leaned all the way up. "Header?"

Header woke up in an instant. He saw Gear, blinked a couple times, then bolted out the chair, seizing Gear up in a hug. Gear felt Header's body shake. He was crying! Gear could hardly believe it, but he was crying!  
"Dammit, you had me so scared!" Header sobbed, relived that his brother would be okay. He let go of his brother, holding him by the shoulders. "Are you alright? Are you okay, Gear?"  
Gear just sat there, for a moment, dazed. "...Other than the fact that my clothes are scorched and ruined, I just have a headache, nothing I can't walk off." He said, patting Header on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

"You and your designer clothes." Header laughed as he wiped away the tears with a smile. "What happened in that fire?"

"Fire?" Gear then remembered everything that happened at the Eurodesign building. Mace in his office. "Mace..." Gear balled a hand into a fist. "Mace, that slippery rat, he blew up my office!"  
"Mace, huh?" The brothers turned to see Vinnie, leaning in the doorway. "I should have known..." Vinnie walked out before anything else could be said.

Throttle and Modo had just been told what Vinnie overheard.

"They know Mace? And he's here?" Throttle sighed. He knew this was going to be trouble. Especially if Mace crossed paths witht them. He had no doubt Vinnie still remembered the way he kidnapped Harley. "Looks like we've got rats afoot, bros."

"...And payback isn't far behind." Vinnie said, cracking his knuckles.

"Easy, Vincent." Throttle cautioned. "We all have a score to settle with that rat, so let's save it for when he shows his face."

Vinnie relaxed his posture a little, but his mind was still tense, burning with the flames of vengeance. When he met up with Mace, there would be hell to pay.


	6. Legacy

_Last Chance Garage_

_April 22nd_

_6:00 PM_

Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo were out patrolling the neighborhood, leaving the garage unoccupied except for Charley and the twins. Right now, she was asking her own questions about the Karmato-Urugi sword style.

"So it was started on mars over two-thousand years ago by your ancestors?" Charley asked.

"Yeah." Gear said. "It's been in the family for generations _upon_ generations. It was meant to be deadly, and forceful, just as it was meant to be elegant. Father said the two swords that we have now were forged by the founder of the style, Adrastos. He used it to train only soldiers, and that was all he meant it for. Since that time, my family has trained many soldiers who have used our style."

"Until the Plutarkians invaded. Then we started to teach some of the Freedom Fighters. Some even say dad taught the style to Stoker, but neither me nor brother saw him do so." Header added. "It didn't go over well with Grandfather, though."

"Why not?"

"Because he felt the Freedom Fighters weren't 'honorable fighters.'" Header quoted with his fingers. "Dad, however, thought the exact opposite, and mom even backed him up. They thought the freedom fighters were our best hope. Our last hope, if there was any..."

There was a silence. Charley knew this story ran deep with the two, but knew there was more to it. She spoke up again, this time, pointing to the swords. "How were they crafted?" She asked.

"The same way any other sword is crafted." Gear answered. "Hard work, sweat, blood & tears, and a good old forge."  
"Maybe it's just me, but they don't seem like the regular variety slice-and-dice style sword." Charley said. "Look at these grooves in Moonstone, it's almost as if another sword fits in it..."

"Yeah, we know." Header said. "Brother, can I show her?"

Gear shrugged. "I don't see what harm it will do. Go ahead."

Header then picked up both swords, laying Moonstone on the floor, and placed Kotodama in the grooves Charley pointed out. They fit perfectly! As if both were one sword!  
"Dad always told us the swords were meant to be combined." Gear explained. "He witnessed Grandfather 'fuse' the swords together somehow. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. When they were combined, he said the blade took on a whole different shape, and a life of it's own. You see, The sword not only changed itself, but it seemed to change the thinking of it's wielder. Empowered them with all the strength and wisdom of each who had wielded it before..."

"Unfortunately, you need one more thing to fuse them together. Something that only Dad had..." Header said with a sad look. He then pointed out a gap between the hilts, where it looked like a third object went; something the size of a large amulet.  
"What is it that's missing?" Charley asked

"A jewel that dad always carried, as did his father, and his predecessors. The Stone of the Red Star. I'm not even sure where it is now..." Header sighed. "Last time I saw it, he was giving it to someone else for safekeeping."

"Do you know who?" She asked.

"We have a good idea." Gear said. "There was only one friend in the family that dad would trust with it..." The twins looked to each other, and Charley caught on too, chiming in as they all said one name.

"Stoker."


	7. Arrival

_Scout ship en route to earth_

Carbine sighed as the scout ship drifted through space to earth. She wished she didn't have to leave Mars for this, but she and Stoker needed to find out for sure if the feeds they had been tapping into on earth were accurate. Which, if they were, then they would need to deliver "the package" to it's recipients.  
"You know you didn't have to come with me, Stoker." She said.

"Yes, I did." Stoker replied. "I have a lot I need to make up for..."

"That wasn't your fault." Carbine said flatly. "You were under the effects of that Mind-Bender beam."

"I should have been strong enough to resist it." Stoker countered, his voice like ice. "Sorry, Carbine, but nothing you say will make me forgive myself for what happened that day."

"Is this about Zephyr?" She asked.  
Stoker sighed, closing his eyes.

That was all the answer she needed. She didn't press Stoker any further on the issue.  
"Everything all right up here?" Rimfire asked as he walked in. "You're not arguing, are you?"

Carbine smiled softly, turning around. "Everything's fine, Rimfire. Just make sure you keep an eye out for anyone who might shoot us down."

"Got it." Rimfire went back to the gun turret he was monitoring.

The ship was silent as they approached earth. So far, so good.

"Are you sure you know where Throttle and the others are?" Stoker looked at Carbine.

"Positive. They're in Chicago." Carbine brought up a small hologram of the city on her console. "Their hideout is at Quigley Field. If they're not there, then we'll check out the Last Chance Garage in Chi-Town."  
Stoker sighed again, shaking his head. "They won't be happy to see me."

Carbine looked confused. "The Biker Bros?"

"No. The twins."  
The ship then started it's descent into Earth's atmosphere. One they cleared it, they touched down behind Quigley Field's scoreboard. The stadium was empty.  
"Rimfire, scan for their life signs." Carbine said.

"On it. Scanning... Sorry, Carbine, the lights are on, but nobody's home." Rimfire reported.

"They're at the garage then. I'll get the bikes ready." Carbine said. "We'll leave the ship here, just in case they get back."

_Last Chance Garage_

_7:30 PM_

Charley drove back into the garage with food for the bros and twins to find everything surprisingly in order. All the tools were put away where they should be, the floor had been scrubbed... Nothing was out of place, everything was spick and span. Completely clean.

She went upstairs, then noticed the hatch to the roof was open. She went up to the roof, and sure enough, the biker bros were there, with the twins. It appeared the twins had just finished a sword fight using Kendo Sticks, with the Biker Bros as an audience. She hated to interrupt, but the food she had would get cold if she didn't.

"Well, what are we up to?" She asked.

"Charley!" Everyone smiled.

"Glad you're back. Gear's OCD went bonkers and he forced us all to clean the shop." Vinnie whined.

Charley just chuckled and shook her head. "Well, I've got the grub. What were you doing?" She turned to the twins.

"Practice." Gear answered simply. "Gotta keep sharp."

At that moment, they heard three motorcycles pull up to the garage. The group looked over the edge of the roof and saw them take off their helmets, immediately recognizing them.


	8. Brawl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I take no credit for the poems. They are part of a game called "Interstate '76."

Header and Gear looked down at Stoker as he got off the bike. They weren't happy when they saw him.

That became apparent as they leaped off the roof, laser guns drawn, shooting at Stoker.

Stoker expected this. He had brought a katana with him, just in case. He drew his sword, and spun it in his hands, deflecting the incoming laser fire. When they landed, swords were drawn and deadlocked.

"What the heck are they doing?!" Carbine and Modo exclaimed. Stoker ended the deadlock by shoving Gear and Header back. The twins then started to swipe their blades at Stoker, whom defended by blocking at dodging, his style flowing with the fight. But he couldn't stop the pain that the twins caused with their shouts and accusations:

"TRAITOR!"

"MURDERER!"

"YOU KILLED HIM!"

"IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S DEAD!"

"WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE!"

Despite the words the twins continued lashed out, Stoker remained calm and collected, just as Zephyr had taught him in his training, back flipped away from their swords' reach, and assumed a Karmato-Urugi sword form; Royal Guard, the fourth sword form in the style. Royal Guard was used to keep up a good defense, and be able to block, dodge, and counter while you ground your opponent into a corner. It was very fast, very aggressive, and very demanding of the wielder.

He noted that Header was using the fifth sword form, Gunslinger. Which, as logic dictates, was meant to be used with firearms. The fifth form had only been around since the invention of gunpowder weapons on mars, combining timely strikes with the sword with one hand, then chaining random shots from the gun into it with the other hand. Despite that, it was still fairly fresh, and difficult to learn since it involved holding the sword in one hand and a gun in the other. But it was nonetheless deadly.

Gear was using the third sword form, Scoundrel. Stoker was more worried about Gear's style than Header's, as the Scoundrel form was all about hiding your true power and skill from your enemy, thus luring them into a false sense of superiority, getting their guard down, then unleashing a storm of devastating attack when least expected, with great finesse. It was a crude technique, but it was effective. He remembered when Zephyr took him down in practice sessions multiple times using the third form.

Header caught onto to the Royal Guard stance that Stoker had assumed, and became even more enraged.

"You _DARE_ you use my family's sword techniques!?" Header snapped.

"Only because you forced me to! Now, calm down, and let's talk..." Stoker said, trying to reason with the enraged twins.

"Forget it! We have nothing to talk about!" Gear countered pointing Kotodama at Stoker. "First you kill our father, now you dance on his grave! I guess killing him wasn't good enough for you!?"

That final remark stung Stoker like knives. He let his guard down. Throttle then jumped between the three fighters, before anyone else could make a move.

"That's enough!" Throttle shouted. "We can't afford this right now! Stand down, all of you!"

There was silence. The brothers put their swords away, grudgingly.

"Remind me to never piss them off..." Rimfire whispered to Carbine.

_Last Chance Garage_

_8:00 PM_

Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo talked with Stoker. Gear watched Stoker with suspicion. Header, however, didn't want anything to do with him, so he went up to the roof to blow off some steam. Stoker had come to Earth with Carbine to see if what he heard was true; that there were two other Martian Mice on earth, and to make sure it was Zephyr's sons.  
"I had to see if it was them. With my own eyes..." Stoker said, getting something out of his vest pocket. Everyone's eyes widened! It was the amulet! The Stone of the Red Star! It was wrapped in copper wire, attached to a chain. It seemed alive, ablaze with a red glow! "I promised their father I'd keep it safe for them... Until they were ready to use it..." He looked at Gear, setting it in his hands.. "He would be proud to know that you still study swordsmanship..."

Gear lowered his head, now feeling guilt. He remembered how much joy it brought father to teach him the techniques he now used. His father loved him, his brother, his wife, his whole family, as much as he loved teaching Karmato-Urugi...  
"I know your father didn't escape, but I know your mother did." Carbine started with a smirk. "You know she won't sit still for this..."

"She doesn't 'sit' at all anymore." Gear said bitterly, turning his back to her. "She's dead, laying in her grave... Mother died in a motorcycle accident three years ago." A tear ran down his face.

Carbine's smirk faded. Now it was her turn to feel guilty. "I... Didn't know... I'm sorry. I... Should not have said that."

"Though I hear that a lot these days, it's not your fault..." Gear replied, putting the amulet in the breast pocket of his jacket. "It's not a happy place, between the dusk and the dawn. Deep below the well-lit and open spaces, I wait under the under, for them to come and rip me asunder, tearing my core until morning..."

That poem raised some eyebrows. Throttle even lowered his shades

"Taurus the Stampede, 1976. A vigilante who was also a poet." Gear explained. With that, walked upstairs to go check on his brother.

"That's some deep stuff." Modo said as soon as Gear climbed up the stairs, out of earshot.

"It is." Charley said. "It kind of worries me he's reading stuff like that. Taurus the Stampede wrote some really dark poems..."

"We all have to face our own Darkness." Throttle said. "Maybe he's just doing it in a different way."

Gear then ran down the steps, his pace like quicksilver, his expression was panicked. "Header is gone!"


	9. Chapter 9

Header woke up, wondering where he was. He had a headache to end all headaches. He saw he was on an operating table, his coat missing! He bolted upright, panicked.

"What the hell?!" He jumped off the operating table he was on. He looked over his body, and saw freshly healed scars, as if someone had cut into his flesh, then sealed him back up, like magic or something.

"Is... Is this some sort of nightmare?" He breathed. He checked to make sure his body was whole, then checked his surroundings. It was some sort of laboratory. He then saw his coat, shirt, and sword on a table, with two guns. He quickly put on his shirt and coat, then grabbed his sword, holstering it on his back. He took one the guns, looking them over. They looked like old Martian laser repeaters, with self-recharging clips. He then noticed some words was engraved on the sides, in silver; One gun read _"Lumen_ " and the other read _"Umbra."_ But what haunted Header was at the base of each gun, there were faded pictures of him, and Gear notched in the handles. He remembered his father having a set of guns just like these...

He heard a door open, and spun around, guns aimed. It was Karbunkle, with some goons.

"...Now all we have to do is-What?! He's not supposed to be awake yet!" Karbunkle snapped. "Grab him you infidels, _grab him!_ "

Header, not even needing to think twice, aimed and opened fire. Luckily, the repeaters were still carrying a good charge. He jumped up and around his captors, popping off shots with precision that surprised even him! It was as if he could just sight his enemies and aim the guns right at them with little to no effort! He even seemed to jump twice as high as he usually did! He felt stronger, too! The goons were down in no time flat.

"Uh, you have to excuse me, I have some lobotomies to perform..." Karbunkle backed up, laughing nervously.

"That's really too bad, Doc." Header smiled, Lumen and Umbra aimed. "You just went into practice. Target practice."

He fired at Karbunkle, but a hole opened up in the floor, and he was gone.

"Yeah, run away!" Header laughed. "Haha, Chicken! Bok bok bok!" He then ran out through a corridor, deeper into the lab. As he rounded a corner with some medical instruments, he saw the outline of cages in the dark. Two of the cages had shadowy figures in them. With the silhouettes of Martian mice. One was female, laying on the floor, crying, In chains. The other was male, chained up against the wall of the cage, silent. They were dressed in rags.

The female obviously heard his footsteps as he approached. She looked up, and appeared to look in his direction. It was hard to tell with the shadows.

"Who are you...?" She asked.

Header walked up to the cage, trying to make the figure out. "The name's Header. Let me get you out of there." He shot the lock off of the cage door. "Who are you? Did Karbunkle capture you, too? Are you alright?"

"I'm fire, for now. I can't remember half of what Karbunkle did to me, and that's probably a good thing..." Header then turned on the lights, which were still dim, then saw her face. Despite being a prisoner, she was beautiful. "My name is Harley. The sand raiders captured me on Mars, then sold me to Karbunkle."

"Wow. I didn't think Sand Raiders could go _that_ low." Header said as he got Harley out of her chains, then turned over to the other cage.

"Who's in there?" Header asked.

"I don't know." Harley answered. "They take me out sometimes, and I can hear them beating him, whipping him... I can sometimes even hear his yells of pain in my dreams..."  
"Well, he's not going to have to yell in pain anymore." Header shot the lock off of the prisoner's cage, and cautiously walked up. As he got closer, the silhouette began to take shape. Tattered garments of a once proud martial arts teacher. They looked so familiar. Header got closer, and saw bruises and some deep cuts, one seared right across his chest. He looked at the prisoner's face, and got even more deja-vu.

When he got face to face, he then saw why he was getting all those feelings. It was his father! Zephyr!

"DAD!" Header hastily undid Zephyr's chains, and he fell limply into his arms. Header checked his father's pulse. He was alive, but weakened from his captivity.

"Dad, say something!" Header could feel the tears welling up in his eyes.

"If we can get back to the lab, I could help him!" Harley said, realizing how dire the situation was. "Karbunkle would be a fool not to keep some medical supplies around!"

Header draped Zephyr's arms around him, picking him up piggy-back style as they made their way back to the lab.

"Hold on, dad." Header silently pleaded. "Hold on..."


	10. Breakout!

_Downtown Chicago_

_Midnight_

"You got his location, Carbine?" Throttle asked as the group rode into the downtown area.

"Positive. It's a good thing you put a tracker on him when you had the chance, Throttle." Carbine checked her scanner. "Big surprise. It's coming from our old enemies' headquarters."

"Limburger." Modo growled.

"You think Mace is involved?" Charley asked, riding on the back of Vinnie's bike as they picked up their speed.  
"Hard to tell." Throttle said. "Be ready for anything."

"I was born ready for this." Vinnie said. "This day has been a long time coming."  
They stopped their bikes at the building complex. Someone in a Hood and what appeared to technological powered knight armor was leading the guards.

"So good to see you here, Throttle." The hooded man laughed.

"This guy's taste in clothing is.. questionable." Vinnie said.

"...And you are?" Throttle asked.

"Let's just say I'm someone from your past..." The hooded man said, turning his back and going into the building. He snapped his fingers. "Men! Take care of this nuisance!"

_Karbunkle's Laboratory_

Harley had finished patching up Zephyr the best she knew how.

"I got him stabilized." Harley said, removing the oxygen mask. "He should be okay for now..."

"When did you get so good at patching people up?" Header asked.  
"I was a medic with the Martian Freedom Fighters. It's a long story..." Harley said. "So this guy is your father?"

"I thought he was dead all this time." Header said. "If I only knew he was here..."

"Worry about that later. I'm waking him up." She said, injecting him with a stimpack. "We need to get out of here, so he will need to carry his own weight. Besides, Karbunkle won't just let us waltz out the front door..."

Zephyr groaned as he opened his eyes. He looked up at Header, then at Harley.

"Harley..." He said, sitting up. "You got out..."

"With some help from your son." She said with a warm smile. Zephyr did a double take, looking at Header.

"Header..." He sat up on the operating table he was laying on. "How did you get in here?"

"The same way you did, I suppose." Header said, gathering up several other guns on a table. "Now we're getting out. All of us." He pointed Umbra at an air vent in the wall, shooting it off it's hinges. "We'd better move now, before Karbunkle gets back with the big guns. Come on, let's move!"

Header let Harley go first, since she probably would know where to go. Zephyr grudgingly went next, Header close behind as he put the panel back against the wall. They followed Harley through the vent and up the main air shaft, then through the lobby ducts, to the building's parking garage.

Harley kicked the air vent out of the way, then got out of the vent. Zephyr and Header followed. They started hearing explosions outside.

"Now what?" Zephyr growled.

"Only one way to find out." Header said. "Let's go. If it is who I think it is, then we're in luck."

They ran up against a wall near the exit, Header peeking around the corner. He sighed with relief.

"It's Throttle and Gear! They brought the cavalry..."

"Let's lend them a hand." Zephyr leapfrogged over Header, taking Moonstone out of it's scabbard. He then charged into the battle.

Header sighed, giving a scatter blaster and repeater to Harley. "You'll need these."

With that, they ran out after Zephyr, guns ablaze.


	11. Teacher and Student

Throttle and company had quite the handful with these guards! Since when did the goons get this tough? Or smart for that matter? Even though Gear had switched from third form Scoundrel to fourth form Royal Guard mid-fight, things were still tough! There were a lot of goons!

Stoker, Throttle and Vinnie then heard a loud battle cry after Throttle took down one of the more skilled goons with his Nuke-Knucks, and turned to see who it was. They were surprised to see Header, Harley, and Zephyr, going after the nearby guards, Moonstone in Zephyr's hand! He was using the most deadly and physically demanding Karmato-Urugi sword style! Second Form, Glint! The second form of Karmato-Urugi was all about showing and using your raw, brute strength, taking down your opponent with vicious whips of the sword in fast, swift strikes! So fast, some say the user's sword would look like a blurred glint of light in their hand! This made the style more taxing on the user's stamina than any other, as they could only use it for so long without fighting themselves to exhaustion. How long they could last depended on the size and shape of the sword! Small, narrow swords were best with this style, but Moonstone wasn't small, or narrow!

Header noticed which style Zephyr was using. "Dad! Take it easy, you just got back on your feet!" Header snapped, jumping and flipping through the air, shooting guards with Lumen and Umbra.

At first, Stoker thought he was seeing things. One way to make sure he wasn't! He drew a laser pistol, assuming Gunslinger stance. He ran into the crowd of goons, then jumped in the air, his body spinning around like a drill bit as he popped off shots!

"Work on your form, dimwit!" Zephyr snapped after he cleaved a guard's gun into pieces. Stoker landed right next to him, smiling as he ko'ed the guard. Yep, it's teacher, he thought.

Zephyr paused for a minute, trying to catch his breath. He was getting tired, and Stoker knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up.

"Take five, teacher!" Stoker said. "We're getting you out of here! Throttle, let's fall back!" He whistled for his bike, and it drove right up! The others followed suit. Zephyr rode with Stoker, Harley with Vinnie, and Header with Gear. They vacated just as quickly as they arrived.

_Last Chance Garage_

_1:00 AM_

Everyone was back, safe and sound. Header then explained that he heard a noise in the alley nearby and got nailed in the head by something, or someone, when he was taken to Karbunkle's lab. Charley then forbid anyone from going up to the roof alone.

When Gear heard about the strange, quick-healed scars Header got, he went into a fit.

"What did that psycho do to you?!" Gear lifted up Header's shirt, doing his own examination in front of everybody.

"Cut it out, brother!" Header snapped, shoving him away, embarrassed. "I'm fine, I've never felt better! Worry more about Father!" He straightened out his shirt.

"Where did his pops go, anyway?" Throttle asked Carbine.

"Upstairs in the spare bedroom, with Stoker. They're meditating before calling it a night." Carbine said.

Throttle shrugged his shoulders, then went to do a checkup on his bike before going to sleep.

The two sat in the middle of the room. Stoker was dead silent, as was Zephyr. Incense had been lit, and smoke trails lazily worked their way up to the ceiling. Stoker had his eyes closed, and was doing his best to keep up his center of focus, but his mind still wandered off, worrying. If the Plutarkians could keep Zephyr and Harley captive all this time, what else would Limburger have up his sleeve? And what about Mace? Just thinking about that name sent troubled waves across the ocean of his mind...

"Something troubles you, student?" Zephyr asked, not even opening his eyes.

"...I worry about future events, teacher, and regret the past." Stoker said, opening his eyes. "I thought you were dead all this time. The last I saw of you was when I was... not myself. They were dragging you away to be sold. After I found myself free of their clutches, I lost my way... I still remember everything that happened, everything I did... It haunts me like a ghost..."

"You feared that Mars and I were lost because of your own actions, even though they were involuntary." Zephyr deduced.

"Yes." Stoker said, looking down at the floor. "Teacher... I can't forgive myself for what happened... Even your proteges disapprove of me."

"By 'proteges', you mean my sons, correct?"

"Yes, teacher."

"They may carry the legacy of the style to the next generation, just as you have to the freedom fighters, but their judgment matters not." Zephyr said. "Their anger will pass, with time, and they will see you for what you really are; A brave warrior who would die for a noble cause. Despite difficulties, you have been one of my best, and most faithful students. But I see also that something else troubles you. A traitorous figure waits in the distance, sand-filled winds shrouding his figure. He brings great disrespect to Karmato-Urugi, he himself a former pupil... Mace..."

Stoker sighed. Teacher, despite all he had been through, had not lost his diamond-sharp mind. He wondered for a moment if Zephyr was psychic. "Yes. He troubles me greatly, teacher. Throttle tells me he is here. That he has already attempted to kill one of your proteges, in cold blood. Along with many innocent. I fear they will not stop until they are dead, along with you."

"Yes, the burning building. I felt it too." Zephyr said, bemusing Stoker once again. "I could feel my sons as they were danger, from both the flame, and the knife. You are not alone with concern for them. But they have come of age. I've taught them everything I know from when they were young. As for Mace, he is hard to track. His form weaves itself into the winds, scattering itself among many lies. But like all traitors, he shall meet justice, one way or the other. Fate cannot show it's full hand to me. But know this: There are things that may be, and things that will be. A young warrior will arise, and attempt to bring justice to the sword. But caution must be heeded. For the style, along with Adrastos' rose, will be held by either the warrior, or his opposite."

Stoker sighed. Despite some mystery, Zephyr was always blunt with this sort of thing. Something he was grateful for. He didn't sugar coat things, like the military did on Mars.

"Now you should rest, my pupil. I have given you all the advice and knowledge within my reach. Send my sons in. I need to speak with them, alone." Zephyr said.

"Yes, teacher. Thank you." Stoker bowed his head, got up, and left to get the twins downstairs.


	12. Reunion

_Last Chance Garage; Spare Bedroom_

_2:00 AM_

Header and Gear walked into the spare bedroom to see what their father had summoned them there for. Zephyr was sitting there, still in his meditation position. His form, relaxed. Eyes closed. They saw the freshly-changed bandages that dressed his wounds under his old, tattered tunic and robes.

Gear had brought some extra incense, figuring after father's chat with Stoker, the few sticks he had brought in before hand would be running low by now.

Both the twins stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do, what to even say; it had been over ten years since they had seen their father. They each wondered, after all that time being a prisoner in Karbunkle's lab, if he was still the same mouse. They had seen documentaries in school on earth about that sort of thing. Being a prisoner of war. It usually left people as shells of their former selves, the torture and conditions shattering their minds. They knew their father's spirit was strong, but was it _that_ strong? Strong enough to survive over a decade of torture and pain?

Would he even remember our faces? Header wondered silently to himself.

"Header. Gear. Come sit with me." Zephyr said, not even opening his eyes, not even moving from his position.

They stood there for a moment more, unsure of themselves. Gear was the first one to gather up enough courage to walk into the room. Header immediately followed suit. Gear lit some incense, and the twins knelt, sitting down with their father.

Zephyr opened his eyes. They knew his body was in bad shape, though he didn't show it. But his mind, his soul seemed to be intact!

He gave his sons a warm smile. "It has been too long. You have grown up so fast..." Zephyr reached out, laying his hands on his sons' shoulders. "...I know of what happened to your mother. I am sorry I wasn't there for both of you in your hours of need... I wish we could get back the time that was stolen from us."  
"That's not your fault." Header said. "With all due respect, you had your own problems."

"Regardless, you are here now." Gear said. "That's all that matters..."  
Zephyr looked into Gear's eyes, then chuckled. "You never grew out of your love of machines, did you? Now you've designed them for others..." He then turned to Header. "...And I see you still haven't grown out of your rebellious phase. Writing music that back then, would have stirred confidence into even the lowest of the freedom fighters. You've grown into men, following the paths in life set out before you, and I'm proud of both of you."  
Gear and Header then hugged their father. Zephyr returned the gesture, knowing they were still in pain, the wound left by the death of their mother, and his beloved wife still open. But him, just being there, seemed to help close that wound by a significant degree. It also was the same for him.

Shieva, our sons have grown up. he thought to himself. They make us proud...

_Meanwhile, in the Garage area..._

Vinnie had just woke from his makeshift bed at the foot of the couch, when he heard Harley mumbling in her sleep.

"Harley?" He put a hand on her shoulder, waking her from her nightmare. She gasped, her eyes shooting open. She saw who had woken her from her nightmare.

"You okay, sweetheart?" He asked with the most genuine of concern.

She threw her arms around him, and Vinnie felt her body shake. He held her close, letting her weep. Harley had been through who knows what kind of tortures in Karbunkle's laboratory, but Vinnie could tell it had left it's mark.

"I'll be right here if you need me. It's going to be okay now, Harley." Vinnie said, comforting her. He was glad she was finally safe, in his arms, away from all that fear and pain.


	13. Chapter 13

_Last Chance Garage_

_April 23rd_

_10:00 AM_

Charley woke up. She was glad today the garage was closed, thought it most likely wouldn't be much of a day off. She could hear raindrops on the roof. She got up and looked out the window. It was raining heavily. A lightning bolt struck down in the distance, thunder echoing shortly after. Something told her that the storm would just add to the day's events. It was sort of a sixth sense with her. She got dressed, did her usual routine in the mirror, then went downstairs.

Everyone else was also up, or waking up when she got downstairs. Modo already had the weather report on the tv. The forecaster said it was supposed to rain heavily, all day.  
Throttle looked up. "Rainy day, Charile."

"Yep." She said.

"The storm is good for one thing, thought." Gear said. Everyone looked at him, confused.

"Dad told us earlier this morning that today was the day." Gear said.

"The day for what?" Throttle asked.

"The day to fuse the swords." Header answered, walking into the room with Zephyr. "We're going to fuse Kotodama and Moonstone today. Right now."

That got everyone's attention. Stoker then said one thing.

"So I guess you're going to do this on the roof, teacher?"

"The conditions are ideal." Zephyr said. "The closest thing we'll get for what the fusion needs."

"Wait wait wait..." Rimfire got up from the chair he was sitting in. "You want to go up to the roof, right now, to fuse the swords, in the middle of a thunderstorm?"

Carbine had a skeptical look as well. "Are you sure he's sane?" She asked.

"My grandfather showed me and my father the way to fuse them when I was very young." Zephyr explained. "The fusion requires a lot of energy. The thunderstorm will offer that energy. It did for my ancestors. That was when mars still had water and clouds of rain in its skies..."

"Then how did your father and grandfather fuse it?" Carbine challenged.

"He had to use a contraption, called a 'spark chamber' to simulate the conditions."

"Spark chamber? You mean to tell us they got struck by lighting or something?!" Vinnie asked, wide-eyed.  
"...Yes, basically." Header said, trying to ignore their expressions, and his worry for his father.

"You do realize this will leave two of you weaponless?" Carbine asked.

"That, we solved." Gear said. He went to the other room, and dragged in a long, large case. "Header has 'a few friends' who owed him a few favors, who gave us some armaments that we both went to pick up this morning at seven."

He plopped the case down in the middle of the room, and opened it up. There were two swords inside. One was a Gothic-looking double-edged claymore, looking as if it came from the dark ages itself! It was decorated with tribal etchings in the blade, the hilt decorated with a red-jeweled cross on each side. The word "Uprising" was carved into the handle.  
The second sword was a masamune style dai katana, with a deep-red finish on the blade, and decorative rubies embedded into the bottom of the handle. The word "Akane" was etched in the base of the blade.

"Someone sure is a talented artist..." Carbine said. She then picked up a taped note that fell off the case. She read it out loud. "Now we're even, man. Thanks for the good times in the band! Need anything else? Call and I'll be happy to help! Singed, Nicoletta Goldstein and Tony Redgrave..." She raised an eyebrow after she read the names.

"Old friends." Header said, grinning.

"Well, enough of that." Gear said, shutting the case. "Let's go topside and get started."

Charley went to get her coat. This would be something she would have to see.

The rain pelted down on them as they watched Zephyr and his sons prepare. Thunder and lightning boomed occasionally around them, the wind blowing just fast enough to make loose clothing flap in the wind. Gear fished the Stone of the Red Star from his pocket, giving it to Zephyr. Header had already placed Kotodama into the grooves in Moonstone. Now all that was left was to insert the stone.

Zephyr held the stone in his hands. It started to glow with a vibrant light. He inserted the stone where it went in the gap in the two sword's hilt. It seemed to just float out of his hand and fastened itself in the gap!

The stone grew brighter, and Zephyr held the combined sword above his head! It stated to radiate a visible aura, which surrounded the sword and Zephyr! The storm even seemed to intensify, the breezy wind becoming a rushing gale around them!

Then, it happened!

A single rogue lightning bolt rained down from the sky, striking the sword at the tip! As the current flowed through the two swords, they fused, and the blade changed it's shape! The metal seemed to flow like quicksilver for a few seconds as it took its new shape! From a flat, large, broad piece of metal to a slightly-curved, elegant buster blade! The sword itself even seemed to feed off of the current generated by the lightning! The lightning strike ended as quickly as it began, and there stood Zephyr, unharmed, holding the now fused sword! Everyone was breathless.

"Adrastos' rose has been awakened..." Stoker said.  
And with its awakening, would come both redemption and retribution.


	14. False Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing in this chapter is intended to sway anyone into religion.

_Last Chance Garage_

_2:45 PM_

It had been over an hour since the swords had been fused and Adrastos' Rose had been awakened. Things had been deathly silent inside the garage. The twins were marveled over the sword, nearly transfixed by its deadly yet elegant beauty. Even Rimfire couldn't seem to help gazing at it when he walked by. Zephyr was putting together a makeshift scabbard for it. The biker mice were checking over their bikes, Carbine hovering over Throttle's shoulder with a smile. After all, if Mace was here, she had just as much of a grudge to repay to the rat. As for Stoker, he still kept his distance from the twins, as they were still looked over him with a distrustful eagle eye when they were watching him.

Zephyr had finished with the scabbard, put Adrastos' Rose into it, and put the scabbard over his shoulder. He then walked up to Charley, and made a very unusual, yet understanding request:

"Miss Davidson, do you know of any... spiritual places in the city me and my sons could go to? For healing of the soul?"

This caught Charley by surprise. But she did know of a place...

_Holy Knight Cathedral_

_Old Town Chicago_

_3:30_

The group had just arrived at the cathedral. They walked in. It was empty except for its caretakers. This was a place of healing, a place of respect, and even the biker mice knew when to stay silent. Even Header didn't wise crack.  
A stained glass ceiling surrounded the prayer altar at the far end of the cathedral, where the priests stood. Behind the altar were stained glass windows. Beautiful chandeliers hung from both ends of the cathedral. It was elegant, graceful.

Zephyr sat down on one of the front pews, followed by Gear and Header. Throttle and the rest of the group watched them from the back row as they started a silent prayer. Some of the very few that were there besides the caretakers, nuns, and priests looked at therm, sometimes doing double takes, considering they didn't even have any holo-disguises on. But they kept their silence, as this was a place of peace and respect.

All seemed at peace as they sat.

Then, it was shattered. Literally.

A figure plunged through the stained glass ceiling about the altar, landing right on it, catching everyone's attention.

It was Mace! In body armor, armed to the teeth with rapid-fire blasters, long knives, and a sword that looked like a mix of a blade with a drill, with a motorcycle-like throttle lever on the handle to boot! He had a smile of psychotic nature! He started to fire on Zephyr and his sons, whom had just got up and ran out of the way! But Zephyr chose to go after Mace with Adrastos' Rose!  
The common folk were panicking, running out of the area, or diving for cover, and praying for their lives to be spared. The biker bros were quickly guiding everyone out the cathedral, Stoker charging down an aisle to the front, to help his teacher as he battled with his one of his traitorous former students!  
They swiped and clashed their swords together, but Zephyr was still weak, still recovering from ten years' worth of injuries, and Mace knew it! When they deadlocked, he revved up his drill sword, metal grinding against metal! He then spun around and kicked Zephyr in the chest, knocking him back, then lunged, going for his heart!

"TEACHER!" Stoker had just gotten up to the altar, his katana drawn! He jumped into the way, throwing himself in between his teacher and the hostile blade! The sword punctured Stoker's shoulder, wedging itself in his flesh! He cried out in pain!

Gear and Header were shocked. They got to their feet, hearing Vinnie yell out Stoker's name.

"So, another so-called 'student' wants to meet the same fate as his beloved teacher?" Mace laughed. "I was planning on killing you soon enough, Stoker. Guess I hit the jackpot today..." He got ready to rev the drill tip of the sword...

Mace then heard a battle cry! He looked over his shoulder. The twins were charging him with much rage!

Header drop kicked Mace in the face, sending him flying with such force, he went up into the rafters, his drill sword dislodging itself out of Stoker's shoulder before it could do any more damage! He then drew Lumen and Umbra from underneath his coat, aimed and fired! Mace grabbed onto a rafter, spinning on it, drawing his own blasters as he landed feet first, recovering from the attack.

"So the sons of Zephyr want to play, eh?" He gave another dark chuckle. "Well, I guess I have some time to kill... Literally!" He fired shots from one of his blasters, the sons wall-running up pillars, swords drawn as they jumped onto the rafters.

Header charged, thrusting Uprising in a stabbing motion. Mace got out his knives, jumping out of the way, grinding his knife against the opposing blade as he landed on another rafter. But Gear was close behind, swiping through some of Mace's chest armor with Second form Glint! Blood ran from one of the armor's fresh cuts! He felt the now freshly carved wound, looking at his hand! Surprisingly, he just laughed again.

"Looks like I've underestimated your abilities..." He didn't even get to finish the sentence as he got shot by Lumen and Umbra, nearly falling off the pillar! But he jumped, and recovered on another one. He then jumped up back through the hole in the ceiling that he came in through.

"Audios, kids! I think you have bigger problems to worry about right now!" He laughed as he ran away.


	15. Forgiving Stoker

Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo had gotten over to Stoker during the twins' fight with Mace, applying medical attention the best they could. Rimfire and Carbine were checking on Zephyr, whom insisted he was fine, and was more worried about his injured student.  
Gear was unsure of what to do: Pursue Mace, or stay and help.

Header, however, had made up his mind already. He had jumped out of the hole in the roof, in pursuit of Mace. They ran across the Cathedral's roof, reaching the far end. Mace stopped at the edge.

"Nowhere left to run, now!" Header said, guns drawn and ready.

"You sure about that?" Mace laughed. He then took the drastic route.

He jumped!

"Damn it!" Header ran up and looked over the edge of the roof. Mace was nowhere in sight.

"Where did he go?" He wondered out loud. He looked up and down the street, but he was nowhere in sight. He put his guns away.

Header went back to the hole in the roof, and jumped down, sliding down the pillars until he got to ground level. For the first time since they had met, he was worried about Stoker. Gear was feeling the same, as he was doing his best to help. He had torn a piece of his shirt off and was using it to stop the blood flowing from Stoker's wound.

"We need to get him out of here." Charley said. "Put his bike in my pickup."

_Last Chance Garage_

_6:30 PM_

Header sighed, as he looked at the closed door to the spare bedroom, Gear standing next to him. It had been over an hour since they got back to the garage. Harely, Carbine, and Charley had managed to patch up stoker with their medical know-how. Right now, he was asleep, under an anesthetic so he wouldn't have to feel the pain, since they had to use some equipment of Carbine's to heal Stoker's fractured shoulder-blade. Everyone was worried, the twins included. They were also puzzled. Were they wrong about Stoker this whole time? It was driving them close to insanity.

Finally, Header couldn't take it anymore. He walked forward and opened the door. Stoker was lying on the bed, asleep, an expression of pain on his face. His ears twitched occasionally.

Header gathered up the courage to walk forward, and knelt down next to the bed. Gear followed him in.

"Stoker... I... We don't know what to say..." Header said, speaking for them both. "You risked your life for Father... We thought you were too far gone after you had been captured, and the fight we saw you have with dad when... When the ship was taking off... But now, after what you just did for..."

Header struggled to contain his feelings. Raw emotion was flowing through his veins.  
"We were wrong about you..." He finally said, breaking down. "The things that happened all those years ago... They weren't your fault... We're sorry... We were wrong about you... forgive us... we need you here... All of us need you here..."  
Header stopped talking. He just sat there on his knees, crying. He wasn't alone. Gear had also let his stoic wall of emotional guard fall down, and was crying as well.  
Header was surprised when he felt a hand on his head, gently ruffling his hair. It wasn't Gear's hand, either.

Header looked up, and saw Stoker, still laying on the bed, ruffling his hair, calming both of them down with the words that both of them needed to hear.

"That was a long time ago, and I'm glad you now see reason. I forgive both of you, just as you now forgive me."


	16. A Rat Problem

_Unknown Warehouse_

_Downtown Chicago_

_Later that night..._

"This is it, my brothers and sisters in arms!" Mace exclaimed to the platoon of sand raiders he brought with him to Earth. "We know where the target hides! We know

that Adrastos' Rose has been awakened, and the master of the style is still weak!" He thrust his fist up into the air above him, holding a drill sword. "Before the sun

sets tomorrow, we shall take what rightfully should have been ours, and claim retribution on not only the Freedom Fighters, but the Zephyr family as well! When the sun sets tomorrow, we SHALL HAVE OUR VENGANCE! AND IT SHALL TASTE LIKE THE SWEETEST FRUIT!" He revved up the drill tip, fire spitting out of the motor's exhaust, sending the platoon into a roar of cheers and applause.

_Last Chance Garage_

_Next Day_

_08:00 AM_

Throttle woke up. The day was unusually quiet, as the sun shined in through the windows of the garage. Peaceful for now. But he didn't want to let his guard down. Throttle was sure either Limburger, or Mace, or ever worse, both of them were up to something. But he was now afraid of leaving Zephyr and his sons alone since the incident at the cathedral. Not to mention Stoker was out of commission for the time being, and needed some protection.

Stoker... He knew already of his student-teacher relationship with Zephyr. He just didn't think it ran that deep. Deep enough for him to risk his own life. They must really trust each other, he thought.

One thing he was thankful for, however, was the fact that Header and Gear had forgiven Stoker for what they said and did, and he had returned the favor. That would mean a lot less distrust among them.  
He went into the main garage to see Gear holding Akane in a relaxed stance, dressed only a pair of loose pants. He then slowly swung the sword around. It looked as if he was fighting someone in slow motion. Yet the sword swings weren't aggressive. They now had a strange sense of peace to them.  
"It's interesting to watch, isn't it?" Charley whispered, walking up in her pajamas with her morning coffee. "He's been like this since six o'clock. It's almost like some sort of meditation. He hasn't knocked anything over, either."

They continued to watch them like this for about thirty minutes, as Gear continued these fluidic motions. Modo and Vinnie walked by, careful not to disturb Gear. Modo was intrigued, yet liked it because it seemed calming, almost like a sort of therapy. Vinnie saw it as a type of sword dance, an art form. Harley sat on the couch, in some of Charley's old clothes that she let her have, also watching. Zephyr watched as well, the movement reminding him of when he trained Gear as a child.

It was peaceful. Unfortunately it had to end sometime. That ending resulted in Header walking in right behind Gear in some pajama pants with some coffee of his own in one hand, and Uprising slung over his shoulder. Header looked more tired than relaxed, like a teenager that just got dragged out of bed.  
"Gear?" He said, startling his brother causing him to jump. "What about breakfast?"  
"Header, how many times have I told you not to do that?" Gear sighed.

"Hmmm..." Header seemed to think over how many times. "Only one-thousand, five hundred and seventy eight." He said with a cheeky grin.

Gear got out a pocket calculator. "Let's see, add up the sum, carry the two... He is right." He muttered.

"Touching." A voice said. "Such a brotherly bond..."

Everyone then looked up to the roof access staircase, and saw Mace! He leaned in the doorway smugly.

"You know, you should really start locking your roof trapdoor Ms. Davidson." Mace advised. |"You never know who or what could sneak in..."

With that, more figures emerged from the shadows behind Mace. It was a gang of Sand Raiders!

Header charged for the staircase, drawing Uprising in the process, Gear close behind with Akane. Header whipped Uprising at Mace, intent to put the rat out of commission.

But they didn't see the metallic objects Mace had in his hands; Two high-powered tazer guns! Mace jumped out of the way, moving behind header, and jabbed the tazer in his neck, the feedback knocking Header out as he screamed! He then used this opportunity to duck underneath Gear's sword swing, thrusting the second tazer at Gear's midsection, applying the same effect.

"Get away from my sons!" Zephyr drew Lumen and Umbra from underneath his tunic, and fired, hitting Mace! Modo followed suit with his arm cannon. They took out as many sand raiders as they could, as they poured down the stariwell. Mace shook off the shots from Zephyr, and charged in, dropping the tazer guns. Vinnie pulled a shocked Harley over and behind the couch, into cover, his own blaster out.

"Stay down, Charley-girl!" Throttle said, pulling Charley behind a wall. He got out his blaster and fired around the corner, taking out a few raiders.

Mace seemed to just shake off a lot of the shots form Zephyr, however, and closed in on him, drill sword drawn! Zephyr was ready with Adrastos' Rose. They deadlocked once more, like they did in the cathedral.

"Your sons made me bleed..." Mace said with a scowl.

"Good. If they were still children, I would have raise their allowances!" Zephyr snapped back with some wit and a smile, shoving Mace back before he could rev up the drill tip of his sword. Mace's retaliation was swift, yet futile, as he swiped his sword at Zephyr, missing every swing as Zephyr dodged and parried. Disgusted, Mace drew a blaster from his belt, assuming Gunslinger stance. Zephyr was cautious, assuming Scoundrel stance in response.  
"You expect to fool me with a bluff?" Mace laughed as they circled each other, oblivious to the battles around them. "You have grown old and feeble! Your body is still coping from ten years of torture and imprisonment! What use is the Scoundrel form to you when you have no real power?"

"Who says I don't have it?" Zephyr challenged. "For all you know, I recover quicker than you think..."

"Please." Mace scoffed. "Your display in the cathedral was more than proof of the pain your wounds still give you." He charged forward. A foolish move, as Zephyr was expecting him to do.

Zephyr jumped over Mace as he thrust his sword at nothing but air, and brought the flat side of his own sword down on Mace's sword arm. Hard. He could hear something audibly crack, and Mace dropped his sword, yelping in pain. He grasped his sword arm, dropping his blaster and sword.

"You have fallen so far, yet learned nothing." Zephyr growled. "Foolishness, Mace! You disgrace the sword itself with your sloppy technique!"

Mace laughed after a pause. "I may have been foolish, but who is the true fool today?" He motioned over his shoulder. Zephyr looked over, and his heart stopped.

Header and Gear were now gone! He turned around, and Mace was fleeing up the staircase.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment! I will savor vengeance's sweet taste for a long time!" He laughed as the other sand raiders fell back as well.


	17. Fear

Zephyr chased after Mace up the stairs to the roof, but he was too far ahead. Mace slammed the door in Zephyr's face. Annoyed and angered, Zephyr punched it open, nearly knocking it off it's hinges as the adrenaline flowed through his veins.

But Mace was out of reach, getting away in a helicopter. Zephyr charged forward, grabbing on to the step of the helicopter just as it took off. Mace tried to force Zephyr to let go, attempting to stomp on his hands, but Zephyr kept switching back and forth, alternating his hand placements! He couldn't let Mace get away! Not with his sons!

As the helicopter gained more and more altitude, Mace finally tired of this, got out a blaster, and shot Zephyr in the face! He fell down to the roof, landing straight on his back!

Throttle, Vinnie, Carbine, Rim Fire, and Modo were on the roof by now, shooting at the airborne helicopter, but their shots did little to damage it! The helicopter was already too far up in the air, and it flew away, Mace laughing like a maniac.

"Dammit!" Carbine cursed. She then ran over to Zephyr. He was trying to get back up on his feet. It looked like he had been injured from the fall.

"No... He... can't get away..." He said, struggling to get up. "Not with my sons..."

They could only watch as the helicopter flew off into the distance.

_Mace's Hideout_

_Some Time Later..._

Header woke up. He was in a room with Gear, both of them laying on a cold, cement floor. They weren't restrained, as he expected. Header then saw that Gear had some bandages over his torso, as if he had just been operated on!

"Gear!" Header exclaimed. He got up, still weak, and walked up to his brother. "Gear, speak to me!"

"Ooh... My head... Header, where are we?" Gear said. Header then noticed Gear had scars in the exact same places Header remembered getting while he was in Karbunkle's lab!

"Now he's augmented, too!" A voice said from the door, followed by a slow clap. Header looked up. It was Mace, his face peeking in through the barred door! "He'll need it for the fight against you, if it will be at all fair..."

"Mace, you son of a bitch! What did you do to him?!" Header demanded, holding Gear protectively close to him. Mace then walked into the room. There were several sand raiders out in the hall, so Header knew he was in no position to escape.

"I gave him the same thing Karbunkle gave you. Although we wanted to try it with you, first, to see if the strength, stamina, and retinal combat packages were stable. Which you have proven that they are. You should be thanking me, Header. Thanks to them, you can now take full advantage of your Karmato-Urugi skills. Which you will do, very soon. You won't really have a choice in the matter, if you bothered to check your neck for the control chip."

Header's eyes widened! He slowly reached behind his neck, and felt a bandaged lump! What did Mace do?! What did he have in store for them?!

"Oh, is that a tinge of fear I detect from a descendant of the great Adrastos?" Mace's smile was filled with a sick satisfaction. "Not so tough without your sword, or daddy and mommy around, huh?" He slowly walked up to Header, relishing the fear he knew he was instilling.

"Stay back!" Header warned, balling up his hand into a fist. Mace ignored him.

"I said _STAY BACK!_ " Header shouted.

Mace then got face to face with header, drawing a combat knife from a belt on his hip. "Or what?" He crooned. "You'll punch me? I'm no stranger to melee combat, Header. Your dad did teach me his tricks, you know..." He held the knife in front of Header's face. "Go ahead. Make a move, but you might lose a finger or two in the process."

Header's heart was racing. That knife was inches from his face! What could he do?

"The silence is your response." Mace said after a few seconds. He lowered the combat knife from Header's face. "Honestly, I expected more of a fight from you. I guess life is full of little disappointments, but don't worry: You'll more than make up for it in the little arena match we have planned. You will face off against your brother, to the death. Best of all, I'm having it broadcast all the way back to Mars, so everyone will see you two kill each other."

"Dad and the Biker Mice will stop you!" Header said. "They'll find us, and rip you a new one!"

"That's exactly what I'm counting on." Mace said, leaning forward so his face was not far from Header's. "With some help from an, ah, old acquaintance, we will be prepared for any strike led by your friends, Throttle and Stoker. They are just as dead as you will be in a few hours, if they can find you fast enough." Mace then got up, and turned around, leaving the room. "If you have anything left to say or confess to each other, I suggest you do it now."

And he slammed the door shut, locking it. Header held Gear close, tears running down his face.

"I'm sorry..." Header said. "I'm so sorry, Gear."

"Header, don't cry, and don't apologize!" Gear growled. "We'll find a way out of this, we always do..."

"Gear, look around." Header said. "There are no vents in here, and the only way out is through that door."

Gear looked around the room. Header was right!

"We just have to hold out until Throttle and the others get here. If anyone can get through to us, it's them."

"What if they don't?" Header's voice had lost its confidence. He was no longer in his rocker attitude. He knew how serious this was. "We don't even know we're _we_ are..."

It then dawned on Gear. Header was right! What if they didn't get to them in time?

"...What are we going to do?" Gear asked.

"There's only one thing that can be done, and you will have to do it." Header chocked out. "I've always been the better fighter in our practice matches. But I don't want to hurt you..." Header's voice was full of dread. "...You have more to live for than I do, Gear. _You_ need to survive... I need to teach you how to kill me."


	18. Racing against time

Throttle rode his bike down the street, trying to track down where Mace went. The entire group was out looking for the missing twins, scouring different sections of Chicago. Throttle didn't even want to think of what Mace's sick mind would have in store for the two. He radioed Carbine. "Any luck downtown?"

"None yet." She said. "What about you, Stoker. Any sign of them over in the projects?"

"Nothing." Stoker said.

"Same here at the cannery." Vinnie said.

"Where would Mace and his scuzzy group of sand raiders hide anyway?" Rim fire asked.

Throttle thought hard as he looked around the warehouse district. Things were silent for a bit. Then, Charley jarred everyone over the radio.

"Guys! I've just tuned into some strange radio and tv broadcast! Listen to this!"

They then heard what sounded like a sand raider's voice over the radio.

"Hello, sports fans! From Earth to Mars, we bring you the sand raider gladiator arena! Today, we have two very special contestants! Masters of an ancient sword art! And they are about to duke it out and fight _to the death!_ " I present to you, in this corner, the fighter in the sleeveless trench-coat, wielding the sword Uprising! He loves to combine sword with gun play, and knows how to chain in shots like a true killer! I give to you, the rebel, a maverick, and a true bad boy! _HEADER!_ " There was deafening applause over the radio.

Throttle didn't like where this was going. "Carbine, can you pin-point where that signal is coming from?"

"On it." Carbine said. The announcer then went on.

"...And in this corner, in the leather jacket, we have his twin! A master of the blade, a genius in both the engineer lab and on the battlefield! Able to put together weapons and gadgets from mere scrap, and wielding the sword Akane! I give you the tactical and mechanical genius, a devious, clever-witted fighter! _GEAR!"_ Once again, there was a big applause.

"Throttle! I have the signal tracked down! It's coming from near your location!" Carbine said. "Everyone, get your tails over there! Throttle, I believe it's coming from inside one of the warehouses! Find out which one!"

Header tried his best to ignore the audience's cheers as he and Gear were escorted into he arena pit. A foreboding sense of dread was in the air. What if he was forced to seriously hurt Gear? What if they really did kill each other, as Mace wanted them to? God, he couldn't think straight. Was this all just a dream? A horrible nightmare? He kept praying silently for him to wake up from this, but it never happened. It wasn't a dream. It was real.

The guards escorted them into the area: A giant caged pit with no way out unless it was unlocked. There was no escape...

"I'm sorry, Gear." Header whispered as they were escorted towards the cage.

"So am I." Gear replied. "...Header, I just want you to know... I've always looked up to you."

Header would have reached out and hugged his brother if he could have, but at this point, they were escorted into the cage.

"Okay, here's how it's going to go!" The arena announcer said. "Projectile weapons, grenades, and stimpacks will be dropped in from above! The match ends when either one of them dies! The prize for the winner is a choice of a painless death, or whatever they would want! Who will win? Who will lose? Will this match be a stalemate? LET'S FIND OUT! ACTIVATE THE CAGE!"

Their escorts then quickly stepped out of the cage, slamming and locking the doors behind them. The cage bars on the outside then began to emit an electric hum. Now there definitely was no way out...

"ACTIVATE THE CONTROL CHIPS!" The announcer yelled. Gear felt a tingle in the back of his neck. His hand involuntarily raised up, grasping Uprising's handle. Gear grasped Akane by the hilt, ready to whip it out of it's sheath. They had no control of their bodies! The crowd was going wild with anticipation.

"You've always... Made me proud, Gear!" Header said, a tear going down his face.

"I know, and whatever happens, I know we'll forgive each other!" Gear replied. The announcer then said the thing both knew they was going to dread.

"ENGAGE THE PERSONALITY ALTERATION PROTOCOLS!"

Header's mindset then changed as if someone had hit a switch. He was now full of rage, the chip causing angst and hatred to coarse through him. Hatred for his opponent. Hatred for Gear.

"Now, die brother!" Header yelled, as they charged at each other.

"You first!" Gear snapped back, as they drew swords and deadlocked.


	19. Go for Broke!

Mace watched from high above the cage as they twins swiped their swords at one another, metal clanging against metal. Behind him, in a chair, sat Lawrence Limburger.

"Are you positive this will lure those wretched biker mice into your trap?" He asked Mace.

"They'll be here soon enough." Mace snickered. "The live broadcast should get them here in no time flat. After all, these two that are fighting are innocent souls in their eyes. So don't worry too much about it. This gets you what you want, and it gets me what I want..."

"Very well." Limburger said, not completely convinced. "Perhaps, if things go well, I could include a bonus for your services..."

Mace turned to Limburger, now irritated.

"You think I give a damn about your _money_?" He growled, intimidating the disguised Plutarkian. "I'm not interested in your pathetic currency! _I'm_ interested in _vengeance!_ " The look in Mace's eyes could be described by many words; Madness, Insanity, Hatred, Malice... All rolled into one. "That's _all_ that I care about! Watching those despicable, so-called freedom fighters all go to their graves in hell, for taking away the opportunities the sand raiders could have had!"

Limburger had never seen this side of Mace. So angry, so hateful... He liked it, quickly getting over the intimidation he was giving off.

"You shall have your vengeance." Limburger agreed.

"I shall..."' Mace agreed, Limburger catching a sickening smile spread across his face as he turned back to the pit. "Throttle and Modo can die any way you see fit, I don't care about them. But I have something 'special' for Vincent. I'll subdue him first, then while he's weak, I'll tear his beating heart out of his chest! All while the others watch!"

"I'd like to see you try..." A voice said behind them. They turned to see who it was.

It was Vinnie!

"You really should invest in some better security." Vinnie said, arms folded. "You never know who could bypass your codes..."

With that, explosions were heard as the other mice arrived in the fray.

"How did you get in here?!" Limburger demanded.

"Doesn't matter!" Mace laughed, popping the joints in his neck. "As for what I said, you'll find out just how serious I was, Vincent."

"Then let's go for broke, shall we?" Vinnie challenged, drawing his blaster.

"You'll regret those words..." Mace drew his drill sword off his back, with his injured arm! Vinnie was surprised.

"I though Zephyr broke that arm!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, you'd be surprised by what science can do for the body these days..." Mace said, assuming the first form of Karmato-Urugi: Bladesman. The Bladesman form didn't need as much of effort to master as the others, but it was vital in the style, as it was the basis of all the others. All of the other forms fell back on this one, and it could be used to fool opponents as to what form would be used next when transitioning between forms! In other words, this form kept opponents guessing as to what could be in store for them!

Vinnie fired his blaster repeatedly, Mace swinging his sword to deflect the shots away, sometimes angling the sword in such a way that the blasts would've hit Vinnie if he weren't moving and jumping from place to place!

Vinnie then heard the other biker mice cry out in pain! What was going on!

"Throttle! What's going on! Are you alright?! Throttle, come in!"

"It's no use." Limburger said. "They've all fallen for the trap. The floor where they stand is now sizzling with an electric current, and they're getting a good dose of electricity. Ten-thousand volts of it, if I'm not mistaken."

"Not all of them, fool!" Zephyr and Stoker then jumped out of an air duct, Zephyr swiping Adrastos' Rose at Limburger. His chair instantly put up a protective barrier at that point.

"You!" Limburger growled, as he got up out of his chair, a large blaster rifle in his hand.

"Yes. Me." Zephyr said. "You'll find that I'm not so easily broken, Plutarkian!" He drew _Lumen_ from underneath his robes. Stoker followed suit, Stoker drawing his own custom blaster, words engraved on the side: _Holy yet Damned_.

"Are you sure?" Limburger laughed. "Or did you not see what is going on in the cage?"

"Don't try and distract me, treacherous scum!" Zephyr snapped. "I _know_ what you did to my sons, and how you've forced them against each other! Poisoning their minds with your technology! Carbine, Harley, and Rimfire are already looking for the control center, and will cut the strings that you have bound them in!"

"Do you _ever_ shut up?!" Mace snapped, though still focused on Vinnie.

"Do _you_ ever learn?" Zephyr retorted, not taking his own focus off Limburger.

Vinnie jumped up onto the rail of the balcony, just over the arena. He looked down. The electrical discharge was still going through the floor. Throttle and Modo were on all fours, slowly crawling to reach the cage where the twins were so they could stop the fighting as they struggled to stay conscious despite the voltage. Mace swiped his sword at Vinnie again. This time, however, Vinnie wasn't quick enough to dodge it completely, and when he landed on the balcony, a small cut had opened up on his left bicep.

Zephyr and Stoker fired some shots at Limburger, but he must have had a portable shield generator underneath his suit somewhere, because all the shots bounced off a shield bubble!

"Do you not see that I've come prepared for everything this time?" Limburger laughed. "Even the control center for the implants is armed and rigged. The other three rodents you've mentioned don't even know what they're getting into."

"You've been defeated once, Stink fish. You will be defeated again..." Stoker snapped, drawing his katana.

"Yeah!" Vinnie shouted in agreement.

The fight then continued to rage on.

_Meanwhile..._

Carbine, Harley, Rimfire, and Charley had their hands full with their own problems. They had to go through several groups of sand raiders. Harley was using a blaster mini-gun she assembled before hand, and suitably named it the _V-Twin_. It was currently mowing down the sand raiders in their path. Charley was using a spit-beam shotgun laser, Rimfire was using two semi-auto laser repeaters, and Carbine was well, using a blaster carbine rifle.

"The console's over there!" Carbine said. They ran up to it, as alarms sounded. One of the sand raiders that survived had activated intruder alert for their level.

"Incoming bandits!" Charley cautioned. "Whatever it is you're going to do, Carbine, you had better do it fast!"

Carbine stepped in front of the console, and began to hack. She only prayed she could get it done. Plutarkians were no slouches in the encryption department.

Another wave of sand raiders came rushing into the control center. Harley started mowing them down with the _V-Twin_ , Charley and Rim Fire picking off ones that got too close for comfort.

It seemed like forever for Carbine to break the code, even though it was actually only thirty minutes, as several waves of sand raiders had stormed the center, and fallen.

"I'm in!" Carbine said. "I'm disabling all security protocols."

"I hope that helps the guys..." Charley said.

"Agreed. I just hope we weren't too late." Harley added.

"Me too." Carbine said. She then got to work shutting down and deleting the control protocols for Header and Gear's control implants.


	20. Vincent's Awakening

Vinnie fired more shots at Mace, whom continued to deflect them using his sword. This wasn't going as he had planned. Stoker and Zephyr also had their hands full avoiding Limburger's shots while trying to breach his shield.

Mace then charged Vinnie at an unexpected moment, and with one single swipe of his sword, cut Vinnie's gun in half! He then proceeded to pounce on Vincent like a vicious predator, closing one of his hands in a powerful grip around his neck! He was choking him! He couldn't breathe!  
"Vincent!" Stoker turned his attention towards Mace. A mistake. Limburger took advantage of the Distraction, shooting Stoker in the chest! He was thrown against the wall!

Zephyr knew they were in trouble. He charged at Limburger, bringing down Adrastos' Rose on the shield bubble. It shattered like glass. He knew it was a foolish move, but it had to be done. He then threw the sword over to the side, grappled with Limburger, and proceeded to claw at his face as Limburger shot at Zephyr, the blasts from his rifle grazing his side.

Vinnie struggled with Mace, trying to pry Mace's hand off his neck, but he was too strong! His grip was vice-like! Mace then threw his sword aside, and dug his claws into the left side of Vinnie's chest, drawing blood!

"You should have taken me more seriously, Vincent!" Mace roared with insanity. "I was going to wait until the others showed up, but then again, when will I get another opportunity like this?!"

Vinnie was starting to lose consciousness! He needed air, and the added pain from Mace's claws digging into his flesh was not helping matters! He couldn't free his neck from Mace's grip! His vision was starting to blur, he was losing consciousness! One of his hands reached out for anything he could grab, grasping in futility...

Until his hand gripped a sword handle. Then, there was a blinding light!

Vinnie closed his eyes tightly on seeing the light, then opened them.

He was standing over his body, over Mace! What was going on?!

"Am I... Dead?" Vinnie gulped, now worried he was wandering in some sort of limbo.

"Far from it, young one." A voice said. Vinnie turned around.

Standing in front of him, were many martian mice, both male and female! Each dressed in a similar martial arts garb! Even Zephyr was there!

"Zephyr...? What's going on?"

"You have grabbed the sword." Zephyr explained, stepping forward. "You have grabbed Adrastos' Rose in the struggle. Right now, time is standing still."

"Standing still? How?" Vinnie was confused.

"The sword has great power. Power that can only be tamed and used by a select few outside of the family bloodline." Another mouse said, stepping forward. This one, a male, looked very old, yet very fit. The best swordsman among the many mice. "I am Adrastos, the forger of the sword you now grasp. You are standing in the presence of every sword master whom has ever wielded the sword I forged from Martian steel many upon many generations ago."

Vinnie was even more confused. "...But how are you all here? You're all dead, except for Zephyr.."

"Whenever one of us picks up the sword with the title of swordmaster, it takes a part of our personality, our knowledge, our very spirit, keeping our knowledge of the style and what we learned within it." Zephyr explained. "We are just as much a part of the sword as your arm is part of your body."

Vinnie, now dumbstruck, looked back at the battle scene. "So what exactly is happening?"

"You are dying." Adrastos said simply. "The traitor, Mace, is killing you slowly. You have grabbed my sword in the struggle, and we are here to see if you are fit to use it."

"...Fit to use it?" Vinnie was once again confused.

"Yes." One female spoke. "As Blademaster Adrastos said, not just anyone outside the bloodline can use the sword. They have to be worthy." The female then walked up to Vinnie. "You are brash, and quick to judge, but I can sense you fight for a noble cause, and would gladly lay down your life for someone you loved or deeply cared about. Through that, I see your worth, as do we all. We don't see such nobility and courage outside the family blood often."

"...But how can I use the sword If I'm dead?" Vinnie asked.

"You are not dead. At least not yet." Adrastos answered. "However, you cannot use the sword unless you know the techniques, young one! Therefore, we have to bestow upon you what has been taught and learned, passed from generation to generation. We must join with your very spirit if you shall have any chance of overcoming this ordeal."

Vinnie was stunned. "You can do that?"

"Yes. We can." Adrastos said. "Are you ready to uphold and protect the honor of the Karmato-Urugi style, Vincent Van-Wham?"

Vinnie looked back to the scene that was frozen in time. He knew then he needed to do this. For his bros. For Mars. For everyone.

He turned to Adrastos, and nodded. "I am ready."

Mace was blinded by the sudden flare of light! Then, he felt something swipe at his arm! He howled in pain, releasing Vinnie form his grasp! Vinnie then threw Mace off of him, and stood up. His eyes were ablaze with a blue glow, his hands gripping Adrastos' Rose! He then surprised Mace, by kicking his drill sword over to him, and assuming the Bladesman Karmato-Urugi sword stance.

"Fight me coward, if you dare!" Vinnie snarled in a voice that sounded nothing like him. It sounded like a mix of a thousand different voices combined into one, almost to the point where it sounded demonic!


	21. Mace's Final Mistake

Mace got up, enraged, picking up his drill sword. "You think you'll fool me with a bluff, Vincent? You've never even studied the basics of swordsmanship! "

"To someone of your limited ability to comprehend its true power, perhaps it seems that way." Vinnie said, still sounding possessed, with a thousand voices coming out of his throat. "Such a pity... To have fallen so far yet learned nothing. _That_ is your failure."

Vinnie then charged at Mace, making the first move. Mace blocked in defense, and they started to rapidly swing their blades at each other.

Meanwhile, Zephyr had wrestled the blaster rifle out of Limburger's hand, leaving deep claw marks on his face. He took it, and shot Limburger off the platform with the automatic setting! Limburger fell down off the platform, and into the pit!

"I think I'll keep this. Better in my hands than yours, Plutarkian." Zephyr said, slinging the rifle over his back, then going to help out Stoker.

Mace was not fazed. In fact, he was paying little, if at all, any attention to the things going on around him. He was focused on Vinnie, and the battle wasn't going in his favor! Vinnie was switching between all of the forms he could use! Bladesman, Scoundrel, Glint... All of them except for Gunslinger! Which he couldn't use for obvious reasons. Swords clanged and grinded as they clashed! Mace was nowhere near this kind of skill level! He was just struggling to keep up! How did Vinnie learn all this so suddenly?

"Your ambitions blind you, Mace." The possessed Vinnie said. "Power and your lust for vengeance have corrupted you..."

"Don't preach to me, Vincent!" Mace snapped as they went into a blade clash. Metal grinded against metal as each sought to overpower the other.

"Still unwilling to see the truth. Hatred blinds you indeed..."

Mace had put up with enough of Vinnie's sudden self-righteous attitude. He revved up his drill sword, and pushed forward, trying to force Vinnie into submission.

It backfired.

Vinnie thrust Adrastos' Rose straight up, and Mace's drill sword went flying out of his hands! Vinnie then took advantage of the moment, and bore Adrastos' rose straight through Mace's chest, impaling him on it! Mace let out a gasp of pain! His face a combination of pain and disbelief, as the blood ran from his fatal wound. Vinnie then leaned close to Mace's face, the fiery blue glow from his eyes ablaze like wildfire! He then said the final words that Mace would ever hear:

"Once again, you disgrace the sword with your techniques. However, this time, it shall be your _last_ mistake..."

And with that, he swiftly pulled the sword out of Mace's chest, letting him drop to the floor, and bleed out.

Vinnie watched Mace lay on the floor face-down in a pool of his own blood. He looked over to the pit where the twins were. They had stopped fighting each other.

Suddenly, there was an explosion! The warehouse they were in was starting to go up in flames! The sand raider audience was already starting to disperse, some running over each other in panic, Throttle and Modo up on their feet and going for the cage. Vinnie then looked over to Zephyr, whom was helping Stoker stand up, slinging one of his arms over his shoulders.

"We have to get my sons and get out of here, Vincent!" Zephyr said. "Stoker's injured, and this place will be rubble in a few minutes..."

"Oh, this is nothing... Let me at 'em..." Stoker groaned, trying to stand by himself.

"Don't argue, dimwit!" Zephyr snapped. "We're getting out of here, all of us!"

_Meanwhile, in the pit..._

Header was still shaken from the sudden loss of control of himself. Yet somehow, he had regained it. Gear also seemed to regain control. He noticed several torn places on his jacket where he had swiped _Uprising's_ blade at him during the fight.

"Gear, are you alright?" Header walked forward.

"They're just scratches." Gear replied. "What about you?"

Header looked over his arms. They were covered with small nicks from Gear swinging _Akane_ at him moments earlier.

"Matching scratches." Header replied. "Let's get out of here."

They went over to the cage door, where Throttle and Modo were trying to break the lock.

"Get back, guys!" Header raised Uprising over his head, and swiped his sword at the hinges of the cage, breaking them off. They then pushed the cage door open.

"You guys alright?" Throttle asked.

"Just a few scratches here and there." Header said. "Where's dad?"

Modo pointed up to the platform where Zephyr's group was.

"Alright, let's go meet up and get out of here!" Gear said.

They went for the stairs up to the platform, running up them as fast as they could go.

Harley, Stoker, Rimfire, and Carbine walked into view near them. They were stunned when they saw Mace dead on the floor.

"Who did that?!" She exclaimed. Zephyr pointed to Vinnie.

Carbine was shocked. Vinnie, of all people? "How did you..."

"Later." Throttle said. "Right now, let's get out of here before we're toast!"

They ran across the scaffolding of the platform, then went down a ladder to a door. It wouldn't open.

"Get back!" Header then jumped in the air, kicking it down. They ran away from the building as it went up in flames, and got to the motorcycles, taking off right as the building erupted into a fireball. The police and fire department were on the scene as the mice sped away.


	22. Chapter 22

_Last Chance Garage_

_10:00 PM_

Everyone was finally safe back at the garage. Everyone's injuries had been treated, and all of them were fast asleep. Except for Throttle and Header.

Throttle was trying to relax after all that had happened. He was watching the news. Vinnie was next to him, cuddled next to Harley, both of them asleep on the couch.

Throttle didn't even notice Header was awake until he smelt the incense he had lit. Throttle got up and went to see what he was doing.

He was rather surprised to see Header, meditating in silence, Adrastos' Rose at his feet, with a few candles lit.

"Kinda late for that, don't you think?" Throttle asked.

Header opened his eyes, and sighed. "I'm just trying to make sense of all that has happened... All this time, I thought father was dead, and here he was, closer than I could have imagined. The next thing I know, me and my brother were nearly forced to kill each other, then I find out that Vincent killed the traitor with the family sword... I'm just trying to make sense of it all..."

"Not having much luck?" Throttle guessed.

Header nodded. "Not only that, but you guys also helped us in many ways. I always thought Stoker was some sort of sick fiend. But when he threw himself between Mace and father, using his very body as a shield, he proved to me he was the exact opposite of what I thought he was. He's a brave soul. Then you and your bros, and their friends and allies proved how brave you were when you came to try and stop me and my brother from killing each other. Then, when we got back here, I heard how Vincent used the family sword to slay Mace. That was strange to me, because Vincent doesn't seem like he knows that much about swordsmanship..."

"So you're holding a seance with the sword to get some sort of answer?"

Header smiled. "Something like that. Let me ask you something Throttle: Did Stoker ever teach you anything about swords?"

Throttle scratched his head. "Only on how to block and defend. I'm sure he planned to teach us more before... you know."

Header smiled. Then the jeweled core of Adrastos's rose lit up, glowing with a calming, pure light. Both of them then heard a voice. It was Adrastos!

"You are brave, yet humble, Throttle. Through your actions, I've seen your worth, and the worth of your friends. Header, Son of Zephyr, you and your brother shall pass them the art that has been passed unto you by your father, and your father's father. The style lives, and continues..."

The glow then died down, and all that was left was the light of the candles. There was a silence before Header spoke again.

"I think I understand now. It may sound strange, but I think this was fate's way of preparing me and my brother for teaching you and your friends." Header looked at Throttle eye to eye. "Are you willing to accept?"

Throttle put a hand on Header's shoulder. "You bet. I'll talk with the others about this in the morning, see if Modo and Vinnie will accept this as well."

If only he knew they already had accepted, for Vinnie and Modo were watching from the shadows.

Modo and Vinnie went back downstairs, Modo going over to his makeshift bed and Vinnie returning to the couch, letting Harley lay against his shoulder. He went to sleep.

He would need his rest for the beginning of their training tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO BE CONTINUED IN "SWORDS AND ROSES II: DEMONS WITHIN!"


End file.
